When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars)

by Korenman, Adam

  Magma shot out from the mantle like blood seeping from a wound. It barely had time to coat the landscape before the massive ship fired the primary cannon. The trident launched a bolt of orange lightning, the tip made from a dense metal and shot at near light speed. The kinetic force traveled down the hole to the solid core of New Eden, striking with energy equal to an burning star. A crack formed down the center of the moon-sized ball of iron. Light poured from the inside of the core, intensifying until it was blinding. Vibrations shook the planet with the force of a thousand earthquakes.

  Aboard Midway, Hiro could hardly breath. The crew stared like children, completely oblivious to the horrible reality. All of the Admirals gathered at the various monitors, each in varying stages of shock. Ray huddled in a corner, tears flowing endlessly down his face. Nothing felt real.

  “Commodore,”Earl called out.“We’re getting readings from the weapon.”

  Hiro nodded, but his friend’s words were like the buzzing of an insect.“And?”

  “It’s somewhere in the yield of a trillion yottajoules. The computer can’t compute it accurately.”

  That’s a first, Ray thought.

  Admiral Walker coughed.“That’s a goddamn supernova.”

  “It’s a foe. Fifty-one ergs.”Ray wiped his cheeks with the palms of his hands.“That the Boxti could harness that kind of power is...impossible.”

  A strange knot turned in Hiro’s gut. He swallowed, focusing on not vomiting in front of his crew. This is truly the end of all things. What can hope to stand against such power? Who would dare?

  No one moved. In every ship in every corner of the system, the humans watched as the weapon began to dim. The beam shrank to a thin line and finally disappeared, leaving behind a perfect hole to the center of the world. Earl, still trying to make sense of the computer reading, nearly fainted when he saw the aftermath. Whatever had powered the juggernaut’s shot, it had dealt the planet a mortal blow. The core was gone.

  With a sound unlike any heard before by man, New Eden began to die.

  - XVII -

  Zev had no idea what was going on up there, but on the ground it was armageddon. Fissures opened in the street at will, spraying fiery columns of magma into the sky. The earth bucked and rolled like a dog shaking loose fleas. Buildings toppled to the streets below. It was the end of days, and he was right in the middle.

  They had watched from the roof as the monstrous juggernaut fired some sort of energy weapon into the planet. Almost immediately the world began to rock. Zev had no scientific background to speak of, but his gut told him to get the hell off of New Eden. As if on queue, their ride appeared from behind a crumbling tower, jets firing at full burn. The Loki transport was fast and agile, even though it looked neither. With a hot dog shaped body and six independent rockets, the sister to the Valkyrie was a service vehicle that earned its keep. Today, it was a rescue chopper arriving for an eleventh-hour save.

  Zev was at the door to the roof, his back aching from pushing against a squad of angry Boxti soldiers. The Scouts had fallen back from the entrance with a platoon of aliens at their heels. Two had taken bolts to the back and lay dead three stories below. Everyone left, including Tim and Mary, huddled by the shaking transmitter and waited for the shuttle.

  “Paradise, this is School House. I’ve got you in my sight. ETA, thirty seconds.”

  Gabriel smiled, giving everyone a thumbs up. Zev had to admit, the officer had been remarkably composed throughout the ordeal. He’d seen stronger men break for much less. There would have been no shame in it, but the LT was made of tougher stuff.

  “I think drinks are on us, School House.”Gabriel clipped the radio to his vest and waved for the pilot, pointing to a flat section of roof. He had no intention for them to land; the building was rocking like a boat in a storm. The shuttle just needed to be close.

  As the shuttle flared to slow its approach, the back ramp began to drop. Zev watched as the Loki spun on a dime and pointed its tail at them, lowering to a few feet from the deck as the exit opened. Soldiers stepped out, holding on to tethers and reaching for the Scouts. Tim ran forward, holding Mary over his head and handed her to one of the men aboard. Others from inside left their seats and hopped down to the roof, rushing to take the door from Zev. He stayed in place, helping them buy time for the rescue.

  After the rest of Shadow boarded, Gabriel called for his platoon sergeant. He’d barely spoken the word when there was a sound like a thunderclap. The floor collapsed, splitting the building in half. Everyone fell to the ground, scrambling for a handhold as the world tilted and turned. The inside of the radio station burned. Some fracture had opened underneath the street and a river of lava road a slow path through the city, consuming everything. Zev held onto the frame of the door with one hand, his other wrapped tight around a soldier’s wrist.

  The roof bowed more, spilling one of the rescuers into the gap. He fell screaming into a bubbling pool of glowing rock, thrashing for only a second before succumbing to shock. Gabriel hung from the edge of the building, his lower half dangling over the flames.

  “Sergeant,”Gabriel cried out.“Get onto the transport!”

  Zev howled as he pulled the private up onto the roof. His shoulder burned but he pushed it out of his mind. The chasm had grown to ten feet as the building continued to split. It was impossible to reach the officer, and the transport had pulled away to avoid colliding with the withering structure.

  Zev stood carefully, waving his arms to keep balance.“Sir, we’re not leaving you.”

  “Yes you are,”Gabriel said.

  “We’ll drop a rope from the shuttle.”

  The officer winced as the rooftop buckled under his weight.“No time.”

  As Zev’s mind raced, the Loki spun around to his side. It would be a small jump, but he could make it into the bay. The other soldier had already charged forward, leaping into the waiting arms of his friends. Now it was just the platoon sergeant and platoon leader left. The NCO’s eyes searched the area for something, anything that could help. They fell on a small box by the broken roof access. Zev ran over, ripping the container open and pulling a length of fire hose loose. He jogged to the edge of the building, throwing one end of the line to Tim and tying the other to his waist. The civilian nodded and looked for a place to tie the tether down.

  “Sir,”Zev shouted.“When I say let go, you let go.”

  Gabriel looked down into the swirling tongues of fire.“Sure, no problem.”

  Zev motioned for the transport to lift on and began to count. The coil of fire hose spiraled up into the sky, shortening the line each second. He had to nail his timing, otherwise he could miss the lieutenant entirely, or spill them both into the burning maw below. When his instinct said to jump, Zev launched himself out and away from the roof. The line caught and swung him around toward the quickly dissolving building. He threaded the needle, careening between the two halves of the radio station with a foot to spare. Office furniture and kitchen supplies tumbled from each side into the lava pit. Zev howled.

  “NOW!”

  Gabriel released his grip and tumbled down toward the fiery lake. He kept his eyes open, gritting his teeth against the coming pain. Something slammed into his stomach and drove his breath away. The heat was incredible, like being in an oven. And then suddenly it was cool. The officer looked up and saw he was flying, held in the arms of his platoon sergeant as the Loki roared away from the destroyed city. As he looked on, the radio station collapsed completely into the lava.

  The crew of the transport pulled the two men inside amidst cheers and applause. They closed the ramp and told the pilot to punch it. With a jarring burst, the transport soared higher and further away from the chaos below.

  Gabriel lay against the wall, sweat pouring from his face. Zev stayed on the ground to catch his breath.

  “I gave you an order,”Gabriel said with a grin.

  Zev smiled back.“Yeah, I’ve never been good with authority.”

  - XVII
I -

  “Cameron, we need some help here.”Kaileen blew a strand of hair from her face, clenching her jaw as the Valkyrie dodged another geyser of liquid-rock. The battlefield had dissolved in front of their eyes, bubbling into a magma pit in minutes. Alarms sounded in a deafening chorus with the cracks and groans of the dying planet. The Archangels held on to the walls as each turn threw them to one side or the other.

  All the other pilots were dead, killed during the intense light show. Now the only thing between the large Y-Fighter and its target was Cameron. In his Phoenix, the pilot wiped at his sweaty face with a shaking hand. The heat was playing havoc with his flight physics, tossing him about and frying his sensors. It was all he could do to keep up. A blast from the alien clipped one of the Valkyrie’s engines, and Cameron swore.

  “Come on, you fucker!”He squeezed the trigger, sending more rounds into the heavy shields. They couldn’t penetrate.“Goddammit! Kail, his shields are too strong.”

  “Then use missiles.”

  Cameron tried to slow his breathing, but he was panicked. Most of his wing was dead, this world was dying, and he had only a few rounds left.“I’m out. Hit your afterburners and head for the atmosphere.”

  “We’ll be sitting ducks.”A volley nearly gutted the shuttle, and Kaileen swore.“Cameron, I trust you. I know you can do this.”

  The Boxti Ace closed in, engines thrumming as it matched speed with the damaged Valkyrie. It held fire, waiting until it knew it had the kill shot. Cameron imagined he could see the pilot sitting behind the black glass canopy. He could feel it guide the Y-Fighter into position, hear the lock-on tone from the firing system. It would all be over soon.

  Fuck me, why isn’t this working? He looked at his console, trying to will it to provide a solution. This is the same ship from Tallus, and I could knock them out then. And the thought came. This was the same Ace from Tallus. The one that had killed George and routed the Terran defense. It knew his capabilities. It changed its shields. Didn’t spread the word for the rest of them, just his ship. Cameron’s mind tore the information apart, trying to find something useful inside. Christ, George. I need some help.

  The Valkyrie ignited afterburners, tearing through the sky like a bullet with the Ace gaining fast. Kaileen could feel the temperature dip as they neared the atmosphere. Pressure alarms sang constantly; they would be lucky to hold together in the vacuum. The Archangels put on their suits and powered up, each wondering if this was how their strange journey would end.

  Cameron coaxed more speed from his fighter, shouting at it to“give him more.”The metal groaned in protest as the wind pounded against each side. Slowly, inches at a time, the Phoenix slipped up next to the Ace. His heart pounding like a drum, Cameron couldn’t help but smile. George had given him an idea. Just give her a little kiss. With a thundering crunch, he slammed the nose of his fighter into the back of the Boxti Ace. The two ships wobbled mid-air, unable to maintain a course. For a moment, the Y-Fighter began to pull away. Then Cameron opened up with his remaining ammunition. The barrels were inside the alien’s shields and sent each round into the enemy. The Boxti Ace, crippled and burning, slipped off the Phoenix’s front slope and fell down toward the fiery surface.

  “YES!”Cameron shouted. He could hear Kaileen and the soldiers on the shuttle cheering as they broke into the upper atmosphere. His radar showed a relatively clear sky and a straight shot toward friendly lines.“Kail, head to Midway. It’s the shortest hop.”

  “Yes, sir,”she replied.

  Cameron rested his head back in his seat. It was as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. He could breath again.“Midway, this is Torch one. On approach with friendly wounded. Request landing clearance.”

  The operator aboard the supercruiser sounded distant. Cameron couldn’t blame him.

  “Torch, you are cleared for hangar two. Welcome home.”

  They ran full steam until the Terran flagship dominated their view. Even this close, with the pride of Fleet in front of them, the alien juggernaut presented a disturbing background. Cameron closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting back to his fallen friend. He could still remember George’s words that first day, as though it had happened only hours ago. This truly was a new beginning. Cameron just prayed it wasn’t the beginning of the end.

  - XIX -

  It started slow, but soon the faults spread. Chasms formed across the surface of the planet, dropping cities into the fiery river below. Bubbling hot rock spilled out of every orifice and ran down the sides of mountains. Rivers boiled away and the ground liquefied. Hundreds of Arks launched, trying to save as many lives as possible. Most never made it off the ground.

  New Berlin collapsed in on itself, burying over three million civilians under piles of concrete and glass. Those who managed to weather the storm had nowhere to run when the fires came. Without a core, the mantle and crust collapsed inward. Magma liquified the layers of dirt, and the surface of New Eden warped and bowed. Sections of earth sank into the bubbling red rock. When the center finally imploded, the force cracked the planet into several pieces and pushed them out into space.

  Fleet Valkyrie wings braved the fires, flying down to what stable ground remained to pick up survivors. Around the world, hundreds of pilots risked their lives to save anyone they could. There weren’t many to find. The entirety of New Eden seemed to be undoing itself like a colossal origami puzzle. As the atmosphere burned away, the last human presence on the jewel of Eros died. With the damage done, Gehnom shut down its weapon and began to make its exit.

  Through it all, the humans watched. They saw the true power of the Boxti, and for the first time in their history they could contemplate the end of everything. The aliens didn’t press the attack. There was no need. The fighting spirit of the Terrans seemed sufficiently crushed.

  - XX -

  Alexander’s face was drained of all color. He looked out the window into the driving rain, his breath labored. What did it matter who ran the Terran people? Pretty soon there wouldn’t be any left to govern. Jonah had been right. As much as it pained him to admit, the rebel knew what was coming and what had to be done. If that ship found its way to New Eden, it was only a matter of time before it traced its way back to Earth. And then there would be no hope. Then there would be nothing.

  Stop thinking like a politician, he thought. Think like a surgeon. To save the body, he would have to lose the limb.

  He couldn’t bring himself to say it, so he wrote the letters down on a piece of paper and slid it across the desk. He walked away so he wouldn’t have to hear the words spoken, so he could pretend for just a few moments that he hadn’t condemned even more to die. Alexander told himself that this was the only way, that humanity had to be secured before it could be preserved. Only a year before, humanity had reached a landmark population. Thirty billion men, women and children populated four systems and over a dozen moons and planets. Now that number had dropped by almost a third. Who could blame Alexander for wanting to save what was left.

  But no matter how he worded it, he knew the truth. There was no darker hell than the one reserved for Alexander Burton, because he had built it with his own sins.

  “Thank you,”Jonah said after hanging up the phone.“That may have been your last good deed as High Chancellor.”He snapped his fingers and soldiers appeared from the shadows to remove the prisoner to his cell.

  Alexander didn’t answer. He stared out into the storm, knowing full well that it was staring right back.

  - XXI -

  Cameron barged onto the bridge, his face flushed and full of anger.“What do you mean?”He marched over to the Admiral, staring him down.“Why haven’t you ordered a retreat?”

  “I said we can’t and I meant it.”Fawks’voice cracked. He was beyond stressed, past terrified even. That a junior officer was addressing him in this manner didn’t even register.“The node just shut down. Just shut the fuck down. We don’t have a way to retreat. We don’t have a way home.”

  “That
thing just took out a planet, Admiral.”Cameron pointed to the viewing screens, as though his words needed a visual.“What the fuck are we supposed to do?”

  Admiral Fawks disintegrated, falling into his chair and babbling.“I don’t know. I don’t know. Christ Almighty, I don’t know.”

  An ensign burst into tears, wailing that Earth had abandoned them. Cameron was hard pressed to find a better way of putting it. He could understand, on some small level at least. He’d felt the planet break, had the vibrations course through his body as he flew around looking for survivors. He knew that once the adrenaline wore off, he was in for one mother of a crash. Back at Sol, who could blame them for wanting to preserve the Homeworld?

  Hiro put a hand on the pilot’s shoulder.“The first order of business needs to be getting clear of that ship.”

  “Where can we go?”Admiral Walker asked.

  “Goddammit, Admiral.”Hiro wheeled on the officer, his temper flaring.“It’s your fucking job to think of a contingency. We need to head for Colorum, regroup with the ships being refitted at the Cove.”

  “And if they follow?”Cameron asked.“Are we supposed to cut the relays at Colorum too?”No one answered. Cameron turned around to find himself the center of attention. He looked for another officer, someone of higher rank, and was surprised to see that no one rose to the occasion. Captain Donovan was below at the hangar, coordinating the remaining ships to return. The other commanders were all aboard their own vessels, probably just as frightened as the rest of the soldiers. The XO had locked himself in his quarters and hadn’t answered any calls, and Admiral Walker was back on Midway trying to keep the Seventh from dissolving.

  “What do you think we should do, sir,”a technician asked.

  Kaileen ran into the room, followed by the other wing commanders. Cameron looked at all of their faces, at the young and scared pilots who needed answers. He looked out at the screens and saw the winking lights of the enemy fleet, hiding in the shadow of the distant rock. He saw it all and felt his mind finally set itself. He was afraid, as he had every right to be, but there was something else building inside. Ever since waking up with a hangover after a night with his best friend, the universe just hadn’t been right. Billions were dead, many close to him, and the monsters responsible just kept smiling and driving on. No, he wasn’t going anywhere. He was pissed.